Chain Store Age: Hibbett leverages AI to manage product lifecycle

Read the original article in Chain Store Age here.

An athletic-inspired fashion retailer is extending its use of AI-based product lifecycle management technology.

Hibbett, which was acquired in 2024 by U.K.-based global sportswear giant JD Sports Fashion plc in a transaction valued at approximately $1.1 billion, has renewed its contract for the Digital Wave Product Experience Management (PXM) solution. 

As part of the renewal, Hibbett will continue leveraging the PXM solution to drive impact across the product lifecycle via efforts such as streamlining product data workflows to accelerate execution and free teams for higher-value work.

In addition, the retailer seeks to onboard new products and categories faster to fuel growth and respond to evolving customer demand, as well as enhance product visibility to increase sell-through and reduce missed sales opportunities.

By delivering richer, more accurate product content and obtaining real-time product intelligence, Hibbett intends to drive conversions and reduce cart abandonment.

"As Hibbett grows, we need partners who can help us scale with speed and precision," said Bill Quinn, CIO of Hibbett. "Digital Wave’s PXM has been instrumental in improving content accuracy, team alignment, and time to market. We’re excited to continue our partnership and keep building on that success."

Hibbett has taken other steps to improve customer experience by enhancing back-end operations. For example, the company utilizes the Syte Visual Discovery solution on its e-commerce site and app. This enables the retailer to recommend similar products to out-of-stock selections through online image carousels.

In the store, Hibbett deploys Oracle retail cloud platform technology to provide associates with a constantly accurate view of available merchandise across channels and the ability to serve customers from anywhere in the store. This includes enabling associates to view a customer's past purchases to recommend new styles.

“At a time when customer expectations are higher than ever, Hibbett is meeting the moment with clarity, agility, and ambition,” said Lori Schafer, CEO of Digital Wave Technology. “We’re proud to extend our partnership and continue supporting their growth with a product experience solution that delivers speed, scale, and real business outcomes.”

Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. and owned by JD Sports Fashion plc, Hibbett Inc. operates more than 1,000 specialty stores, located in 36 states nationwide.